Once Upon a Time Season 3 Episode 1 - Aftermath
by kindervelter
Summary: In the first episode of season 3, "Aftermath", the characters find themselves dealing with the fallout of their rash decision to join Hook aboard the Jolly Roger and travel to Neverland. Belle follows a set of cryptic instructions from Gold that will lead her to the cloaking spell he wishes for her to cast. Tamara and Greg find the portal may have lead them a bit off course.
1. Introduction: Divergent Paths

Once Upon a Time

Season 3

Episode 1: Aftermath

Summary:

In the first episode of season 3, "Aftermath", the characters find themselves dealing with the fallout of their rash decision to join Hook aboard the _Jolly Roger _and travel to Neverland. Belle follows a set of cryptic instructions from Rumpelstiltskin that will lead her to the cloaking spell he wishes for her to cast. Tamara and Greg find the portal may have lead them a bit off course.

Introduction: Divergent Paths

Belle French's bravery had always been her defining characteristic. Bravery had pushed her to leave everyone she loved behind to save her town. Bravery had kept her from going mad while in the queen's clutches. Bravery had helped her regain Baelfire's shall from captain Hook. But standing there on the docks watching the man she loved sail away-possibly forever- Belle felt her bravery finally giving way.

Taking a breath and wiping a tear from her eye, Belle turned back to face the town that now lay in a state of desolation; Greg and Tamara had nearly destroyed it with the failsafe, and now everyone who would have led them to rebuild it was sailing off to another land. At that moment she felt the weight of the world on her shoulders.

She both literally and figuratively held onto the last thing Rumple had said to her for guidance: the small scroll bearing instructions for how to place a cloaking spell on Storybrooke. She dredged up what little courage she had left and pulled the red ribbon off the scroll, slowly unrolling it.

_Dearest Belle,_

_ If you're reading this, it means we've once again been separated-possibly for good. It also means that Storybrooke may be in danger, and that you must find a way to protect it. In my shop there is a secret door that leads to an underground cavern. To reach it you'll need to get a magical key hidden in the library. You'll know how to find it. Your heart will do the rest. _

_ Love always, Rumple._

Belle, heaving a sigh, put the decidedly cryptic set of instructions into her pocket. She wiped away the last remnants and tears from her face and began the walk back to town.

. . . . . . . . . . .

As she stood against the railing of the _Jolly Roger, _Regina Mills looked back on her life and wondered how she'd ended up in her present predicament: on board a boat with five people who had repeatedly ruined her life. Snow White and Charming had mocked her with their happiness. Emma had broken her curse. Rumpelstiltskin had been a hindrance at every turn. Hook had thrown her into the clutches of the insane Tamara and Greg... who took Henry. Who was the reason they were on that boat together in the first place. Funny where life will take you.

"Hook, what exactly is our plan here? How do we find Henry?" Emma Swan asked, planting herself firmly next to the captain at the helm. He responded slowly, not taking his eyes off of the sea in front of him.

"Not exactly sure, love. Neverland's changed considerably since last I was here." Hook responded in his ever-irritatingly cryptic fashion. Emma huffed and disappeared below deck. Regina shifted her attention to the Charmings, holding each other in a sickening embrace.

"...don't like it any more than you do, but Regina is Henry's mom, for better or worse. She deserves to be here as much as we do."

"Yeah well, I'd feel better if we'd brought some weapons along or _something. _We just jumped into this without thinking." Charming said. Snow had to concede that point. They'd thrown in their lot with Hook because it was the first option that presented itself. In the back of her mind Mary Margaret worried that, unintentionally, they'd once again taken the easy path. Luckily her fears were pushed to the side by the arrival of Rumple from below deck.

"Good day, dearies. What've we discovered so far?" He asked in his thick Scottish accent. He looked more than a little sea sick, but his worry overshadowed it.

"Nothing. We're flying-or rather sailing-blind. We need some way to track them." Mary Margaret said, moving towards the group that was congregating at the helm. An uneasy silence fell over them as they realized just how unprepared they'd been for this journey. The silence continued, drifting into the night, leaving the six desperate souls aboard the ship to contemplate just how lost they might truly be.

. . . . . . . . . .

Henry was the first to awaken after falling through the portal. He took stock of the situation as fast as possible, searching for any possible way of escape. His hands were still zip tied. Trees rose up and extended outwards in all directions. A forest, and probably a big one. He then turned his attention to his physical body, which was sadly being crushed by the unconscious Greg Mendell. He fought against the weight on top of him to little avail. He had to escape before they woke up.

"Help!" He screamed into the forest. The only answer he got was the flutter of birds leaving trees. Henry soon thought better of the screaming plan. It wasn't likely there was anyone else around, and it could wake his captors. Speaking of which, it appeared as though Greg might be waking up. That could be his chance.

Henry slowed his breathing and closed his eyes. He had a shot. If they thought he was still unconscious, they might leave him alone long enough for him to make a run for it. Henry couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief as Greg raised himself off of the boy.

"Tamara? You OK?" He asked, sounding a bit worse for the wear. Tamara groaned in response, signaling that she had survived the trip. Greg groggily made his way over to her. Henry opened one eye. Now was his chance. With Greg's back turned Henry rolled forward onto his feet and sprinted off into the forest. Tamara opened her eyes just in time to see him disappearing between the trees.

"After him!" She yelled, pulling herself up and pushing Greg along in front of her. "We need him." Without another word she sprinted off with Greg after the boy, knowing full well that if he escaped it would mean both of their lives.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Where did he come from?"

"I don't know. The last time someone fell out of the sky it was bad news."

"Emma..."

"Did he just say?"

"Yup."

"Who's Emma?"

"...an old friend." The confusing and maddeningly repetitive conversation between Mulan, Phillip, and Aurora was becoming tiresome. Mulan quieted them both and turned to Philip to explain. "Before we got your soul back, we helped two women, Emma and Snow White, return to their homeland, a place called Storybrooke." This made the unconscious figure at their feet mumble something.

"Storybrooke..." He said, pointing faintly.

"This man is hurt. He needs help." Aurora's attention shifted from Mulan's story to the dire state of the man in front of her. "What's your name?" Aurora asked, trying to keep him conscious.

"Neal. It's Neal." He said, his breaths heaving in his chest. He was hurt-badly. Perhaps too badly for any medicine in their world to cure. Aurora looked anxiously at Mulan, who in turn looked at Philip, who in turn looked at Neal. For a moment, all they could hear was Neal's breathing. Until the breathing stopped.


	2. Chapter 2

Once Upon a Time

Part 1:

"_Your heart will do the rest?" That's just maddeningly unhelpful. _Belle French thought to herself as she crossed into the library. Rumpelstiltskin had hidden the key she needed to find the spell somewhere in here... somewhere only she could find it.

Her heart still broke a little bit whenever she thought about him sailing off with the others. Without her. As much as she'd understood why she needed to stay, she couldn't help but resent him a little. She couldn't help but feel as though all her life she'd simply been stepping into other people's stories, never having one of her own.

But she didn't have time to think loke that. She pushed the thoughts aside and returned her mind to the task at hand: finding the key, whatever and wherever it was. _Where would Rumple have put it? _ She asked herself, scanning the shelves. Certainly not in the romance section. He wasn't that kind of man. Not in biographies either, as they'd hold no meaning for him. But where then?

Suddenly something clicked in her mind. Rumple _knew _her. He knew her better than anyone. She'd poured out her hopes, her dreams, her desires. If he'd ever listened to her there was only one place he'd of thought to put it: adventure.

Belle clicked her heels up the stairs and headed towards the back, where all of her favorite stories were kept. Her fingers flew across the titles, jerking to a stop over one. _Your Heart Will Do The Rest. _It wasn't a cryptic message, it was a book! She yanked it off the shelf and pulled open the dusty pages.

For as long as she could remember, Belle felt a rush of excitement whenever she opened a book. A new world to be discovered. New people to fall in love with. This time, however, her excitement was dulled by a sense of maddening urgency to complete Rumple's task and begin her search for him as soon as possible (if he'd thought she wouldn't be going through the next portal out of Storybrooke he was mad).

Suddenly one of Lacey's memories flashed through her head. Some movie about men escaping from prison. They'd smuggled in items using the hollowed out pages of books. Could Rumple have employed the same technique?

Her hunch was confirmed as she shook out the pages of the book. A small, painted bit of ceramic material flew out. She set the book down, making a mental note to read it later, and picked up the small piece of matter. She recognized it immediately, an enormous smile stretching across her face.

"My chipped cup." She whispered, looking at the small chip she'd broken off of the teacup a lifetime ago. Now fully understanding what Rumple wanted her to do, she pocketed the chip and made her way out of the library-and into a battlefield.

In her excitement over unraveling the clues Belle had failed to notice the dire state of the town. The fail-safe had destroyed homes, ripped down telephone lines, and dislodged fire hydrants. Archie and the Blue Fairy were doing their best to keep everyone under control, but it was to little avail. They needed a leader, and Belle knew just the girl for the job.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"You want me to lead Storybrooke?" Ruby spat out the words like vinegar, not believing what Belle had suggested.

"You're the only one. Archie has no... backbone. It's got to be you." Belle said, putting a kettle of tea on the stove to boil.

"Why can't you do it?" A valid question. Belle was, for many reasons, the best fit for the job. She'd gladly have accepted the role were it not for her own personal mission.

"Because. I have to find a way back to the man I love. He'll never be able to find me, so it's my turn to find him." Belle said, a look of sorrow and determination on her face. Ruby had always admired her for her bravery. And Belle _had _helped her during Wolfstime. Perhaps she owed her this.

"Fine. I'll do it. But only until you come back." Ruby said, already bracing herself for Belle's violent hug.

"Thank you, Ruby. I promise I'll be back as soon as possible. Once I've got this cloaking spell underway I'll be on the first portal out of here." With that Belle left Ruby's home, feeling for the first time as though everything might truly end well.

. . . . . . . . . . .

"This _can't _end well." Emma Swan had been through a lot since coming to Storybrooke and breaking the curse, but she was proud to say she'd never had to fight off a pack of killer mermaids. But, she supposed, there's a first time for everything.

"Behind you, love!" Hook shouted to Emma. She spun around in time to see a vicious woman of the sea flying at her. She swung the oar and knocked her back into the ocean. Another one flopped onto the deck next to her and she stuck it in the tail before it could bite off Charming's leg.

"There are too many of them! We need help." Snow said, punching a mermaid in the face and sending her back to the sea. She spun around and kicked another off the boat, then grappled with yet another one.

"No. We need magic." Regina said solemnly. They'd realized a day into their journey that magic was different in Neverland. For the first time in a long time Regina and Rumple found themselves having to rely on human skills, rather than magical ones.

"Yeah well, we don't have any. So unless you've got a spell that can kill mermaids..." Emma joked, running one through with the end of her oar. Emma's quip, however, gave Regina an idea.

"Hook! I need pen and paper. Now!" Hook looked at her curiously for a moment before disappearing below deck.

"What are you planning?" Charming asked as he tackled a mermaid away from Emma's ankles and back into the sea.

"My spell book. Even before I knew how to wield magic I could use that, because the magic was already there. In the ink. I think between Emma and I we can enchant some ink. Then I can write a spell that will protect the boat." Regina looked around at the increasing number of mermaids threatening to pull their ship apart. "It might be our only chance."

As much as Emma hated it, she was willing to concede that the situation was getting dire. Soon there'd be no boat left to protect.

"Lets do it." Emma said as Hook reemerged with the pen and paper, as well as some ink. "Mom, Dad, Gold, cover us." Emma said, already beginning to focus her energy on the ink in Regina's hand. She'd only ever willingly used magic in Storybrooke, and was surprised by how different it felt in Neverland. It seemed... elusive. Like every time she tried to harness it it disappeared.

"Regina. I don't know if I can do this." Emma said, anxiously looking at the other woman. Regina gave her a reassuring glance.

"Just focus, Miss Swan. You can do this... For Henry." This struck home for Emma. Henry was the reason she was there in the first place. She wasn't about to let herself die at the claws of a mermaid when she'd come that far.

"Ok. Let's try again." Emma said, repositioning herself. The boat rocked violently, but Emma and Regina tuned it out. The entirety of their consciousness was now focused on the task at hand. _Almost..._ Emma thought, magic pulsing through her fingers into the bottle of liquid. The black ink was beginning to swirl and glow when suddenly... she lost it. Emma and Regina had lost the magic.

"We need somewhere free of distractions if we're going to get this." Regina said to Hook. Without hesitation he ushered them to the nearest set of stairs, leading them down into his personal cabin.

"This is as private as things get. Now you two work this out or we'll be dinner for the mermaids." Hook gave a slight chuckle and ran back to the main deck-just in time to see one of the sea-women leap onto Charming's back and throw him to the ground.

Hook couldn't help but smile as he heard the all-too-familiar sound of his cutlass slicing through flesh. The mermaid fell dead at Charming's side and Charming realized, much to his annoyance, that Hook had saved his life.

"Don't suppose you've got any more cutlasses anywhere around here?" He asked, hoping for a better weapon than the blunt oar he'd been using.

"Below deck, mate. First room to your left." Hook said, slicing through yet another mermaid that was advancing on Mary Margaret. Charming almost imperceptively switched his personality from that of a warrior to that of a leader has he delivered commands to the motley crew of the _Jolly Roger._

"Hook, you hold them off as long as you can. Mr. Gold, you need to go below deck and help Regina and Emma. Get that spell working as soon as possible. Mary Margaret, you're with me. We need to bring up all the weapons we can carry if we're going to keep these things at bay long enough to survive." With that Charming, Snow, and Gold disappeared below deck.

Left alone once again, Hook couldn't help but wonder what he'd gotten himself into, and why exactly he was doing what he was doing.

. . . . . . . . . . . .

"We're going to find you, kid." Henry had noted early on in their relationship the way Tamara's voice changed depending on her mood. Sometimes so sweet and caring. Other times so wicked and full of malice. And at other times full of smugness and self confidence.

It was the third of those voices that drifted through the forest after him that day. He'd been running for who knows how long. His lungs were on fire. His face burned from the branches repeatedly scratching at it. And though he'd put up a valiant effort, he found himself at a distinct disadvantage: Greg and Tamara were much larger, and they had the full use of their hands. Still, despite the inevitable, Henry kept running.

He noted in his sometimes overly rational ten year old brain that situations like the one he then found himself were generally used for self reflection. How exactly had he arrived at his present moment, running through some jungle in the middle of a fantasy world, being chased by two magic hating life ruiners?

Henry then realized that if he thought too much about it, he'd go crazy. There were times when even he, who'd come up with the theory in the first place, couldn't believe the kind of life he was living-one inhabited by characters from a book.

Turning his attention back to his current predicament, Henry pondered what his next move should be. Keep running? Certainly a no. They'd catch him soon anyway, and he couldn't run forever. Surrender? Like that would work. Fight? Not a chance. That left him with one option, though he didn't prefer it: hide. If he could hide long enough for them to move past him, he'd be able to double back to where they started. Perhaps, though he found it somewhat doubtful it, the portal would still be open.

Deciding it was the best (and only) chance he had of escaping, Henry hooked to his left, crashed through a few bushes, and propelled himself upwards into a tree. He found a sharp stick and used it to puncture the zip tie binding his hands. Then he climbed. Foot here, hands there. Don't slip. Three feet, five feet, ten feet. Up he went, every branch taking him a little bit closer to freedom.

Eventually the branches grew too flimsy for him to safely climb and he decided to park himself. All things considered he'd gotten quite high up. He just hoped it was high enough that the leaves below would conceal him for Tamara and Greg. Speaking of which, it sounded as if they might be getting near...

"He's got to be around here somewhere." Tamara said, whipping her head back and forth. She was, by no means, an expert tracker, but anyone with half a brain would be able to follow the path of destruction the flailing Henry had cut through the forest. "Greg, let's keep moving. He can't have gotten far." Greg began to move off in the direction she'd pointed. Maybe he really had outsmarted him. But then he noticed Tamara bend down and pick something up. Something white and thin. The zip tie.


	3. Chapter 3

Once Upon a Time

Part 2:

Even with Gold helping, Emma still wasn't sure they could do it. The boat was still rocking, the others were still fighting, and the magic was still evading her. Every time she came close she lost it again. And from what she could tell, things weren't exactly going swimmingly above deck either.

Mary Margaret and Charming had returned with the swords just in time to see a mermaid dragging Hook off the side of the ship. Though Mary Margaret had severed its grip on him, that moment painted a grim picture of their current situation: fairly hopeless. And as Charming stood there, in the middle of a mermaid onslaught, throwing them off the boat left and right, he began to wonder how much longer they'd be able to hold out.

The answer was, sadly, not much. There were now only three of them, and from what he could tell Mary Margaret and Hook were beginning to weaken. They'd been under attack for well over an hour, and the adrenaline had had more than enough time to wear off.

"Hook, you've dealt with these things before. How did you survive them the first time?" Charming asked as he kicked a mer woman square in the face, sending her back to the sea.

"They weren't like this the first time, mate. Mermaids were good to us back then, if not a bit seductive at times. But that was part of their charm." Hook flashed a grin as he dispatched another. "Our only hope of surviving this one is your daughter."

His daughter. Given all that had happened since the breaking of the curse, Charming hadn't had time to fully let that sink in. First they'd disappeared to the Enchanted Forest, then Cora came to town, then Tamara and Greg tried to wipe them out of existence... would he ever have some peace? As if in answer, a mermaid shrieked behind him.

He spun around and sliced it near the stomach, then kicked it off the side. _No... _he thought, risking a glance over the railing. _We may never be happy again. _ Of course, he knew that wasn't true, but all heroes are given to despair when standing at the brink of destruction. He just hoped things were going better below deck...

And they were. Emma was finally getting a handle on the feel of magic, and was beginning to bend it towards her whim. She only needed enough to enchant the ink, and between the three of them it no longer seemed impossible.

Finally Gold announced that he too thought he'd harnessed enough to do it. They agreed to try again. Emma put the ink down on the middle of Hook's table and began to focus on it, willing the magic to seep from her fingers into the bottle. A small flame began to crawl from her hand towards the ink. Then from Regina and Gold's hands. The sparks joined together and began to swirl around the bottle in a circle. Then the circle narrowed, the flames climbing the sides of the bottle.

With her last ounce of energy, Emma willed the flame to drop into the black ink. It fought hard, but with their combined efforts they finally got the enchantment to stick.

"Good. Give me ten minutes and I'll be ready." Regina said, grabbing the pen and paper.

"Ten minutes? They're dying up there, Regina!" Emma said, exasperated that their safety was once again in jeopardy.

"Spells take time. If I have the wrong words the enchantment won't work." Regina said, her former Evil Queen escaping under the stressful conditions. She seemed to recognize this and tried to adjust her attitude. "I'm sorry. If I could make it happen faster I would. Please, just try to hold them off." Emma, with one final sigh of discouragement, went up the stairs with Gold.

Regina then set to work. Her mind churned mercilessly to find the right words. What type of spell would protect the boat. Regina ran through the list in her mind: a spell of death would kill everyone, not just the mermaids. A shielding spell would keep the mermaids out, but trap them inside indefinitely. A cloaking spell would keep the boat out of sight, but mermaids hunted by smell.

Then it hit her. _A transportation spell. _ If Hook knew Neverland as well as he claimed, he'd be able to tell her a safe destination to aim for. Not wanting to waste a minute, Regina picked up the pen and began writing.

. . . . . . . . . . . .

That stupid zip tie. Why? Why hadn't he had the foresight to pick it up? Why had he so carelessly left it there? Why were Tamara and Greg so insane?

He knew he'd drive himself crazy asking questions like that, but he couldn't help it. He chalked it up to being a forgetful ten year old and began to think of a way out of his present predicament. It wouldn't be long before Tamara and Greg discovered his hiding place, and when they did... he didn't even want to know what they might do.

"Greg, come back. He's here." Tamara said. Greg whipped around and gave her a confused glance. In answer, she motioned to the zip tie.

"Maybe he just left it here to trick us and kept running." Greg said. Even Henry could tell that Greg wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, and that fact seemed to get on Tamara's nerves.

"He wouldn't have had time. We were right behind him." Tamara said, intending to make Greg feel a bit like the idiot he sometimes was. "He's here. I know it." Something about the way she said the last three words made Henry shiver. He'd met a lot of villains in his short life, but something about Tamara was different. She wasn't evil. She was... sinister.

"He's got to be in one of these trees then." Greg said, stating the obvious. Henry's mind kicked into overdrive as he attempted to think of a way out of the situation. It would only be a few minutes before they found him, if that.

"Obviously. Now, start climbing." Tamara commanded. Greg gave her one last look before reaching his hands into the nearest tree which, thankfully, wasn't Henry's. It did give Henry an idea, however. If Greg was in a tree when Henry appeared and started running... it just might give him the time advantage he so desperately needed.

Deciding it was the only course of action, Henry released his grip on the tree trunk. He fell a few feet, grabbed a branch, braced himself momentarily, then fell again. He repeated this somewhat painful action until he'd hit the ground. The second his feet hit the forest floor, Henry Mills was off. Tamara scarcely had time to yell up to Greg before he was disappearing into the trees.

"Greg! Get down here. I'm going after him." Tamara said, her voice sounding disengaged and cold. To her, handing Henry over to Peter Pan was a job. Not stopping to think about how her actions could result in the end of a life, Tamara raced off into the forest after the boy.

Somehow, Henry knew he'd get caught. They were bigger. They were faster. They had more resources. Henry was, for all intents and purposes, alone. Alone and, for the first time in a while, very scared. All the villains he'd dealt with up to that point had been conflicted. Tamara and Greg were just crazy, and wouldn't hesitate to get rid of him if need be.

That last thought it was pushed him on. Through the forest, through the trees, through the striking branches. He knew he had to escape, but he also knew he couldn't. Hopelessness grew inside him like a weed, choking his heart in a vice grip.

In the end, a simple vine across the forest floor was his undoing. Not watching his step carefully enough, Henry snagged his sneaker on it, falling to the ground in a tired, hopeless mess. Tamara was on top of him in mere moments, already fishing another zip tie out of her backpack.

As Henry sat there on the forest floor, hands tied behind his back, Tamara and Greg standing over him victorious, he realized for the first time that he was truly on his own. There would be no help for him now. Either he'd have to save himself, or die trying. He just hoped it wouldn't be the latter.

. . . . . . . . . . . .

_I'm on to you, Rumple. _Belle thought with a smile as she pushed open the door to his store, the tell tale ding of a new customer ringing above her. She couldn't help but find it comforting; that ding was the only constant in her life.

Not wanting to waste a moment, Belle trotted over to Rumple's dresser and pulled open the doors. She quickly scanned the shelves, searching for her chipped cup. _There. _ Her smile widened as her eyes fell on the ceramic mug. It was the only thing she had left from her life in the Enchanted Forest.

She picked it up carefully then took it to the table, all the while wondering where Rumple was and what exciting or glamorous adventure he was having. She could never have imagined they were in the middle of a mermaid apocalypse with Regina as their only hope for survival.

Belle fished the small chip out of her pocket, taking one last look at it. She could hardly believe he'd held onto it all those years, but she supposed it wasn't the strangest thing to keep; after all, Belle herself had held a candle for the Dark One for almost thirty years.

Now was the moment of truth. Belle's breath caught in her chest as she slid the small chip into the cracked portion of her cup, hoping that she wouldn't be causing some cataclysmic explosion. Her fears were assuaged, however, when a gentle beam of light shot out of her cup. Rumple's magic, no doubt.

For a moment, the beam hovered on the ceiling, seeming as though it needed to get its bearings. Then it set to work. Down one wall, up another, flying around the floor, investigating the door. Finally the beam settled over something on the wall: one of the dwarves pick axes. Belle shrugged her shoulders in confusion, wishing she'd had Rumple their to explain.

But then she remembered that this was her adventure, and that she'd better start acting like the hero she'd always wanted to be. With an air of confidence and decisiveness she'd formerly been lacking, Belle strode over to the wall and pulled down the axe. Though it was heavier than she'd expected, she was still able to wield it with relative accuracy.

_OK. What next? _Belle asked herself, looking around the room. She endeavored to think like Rumple, asking herself where he would have sent her next. _Bookshelf. _Rumple kept a small selection of books on a desk next to the main counter. One of them had to be the next clue in Rumple's puzzle.

_The Wizard of Oz. Alice in Wonderland. Aladdin. The Little Mermaid. _She read the titles as quickly as possible, waiting for one to jump out at her. Finally one did, and she couldn't help but smile when she found it. _Beauty and the Beast. _Rumple had joked with her once, before her memory loss, that the story was probably based off of them.

She pulled it off the shelf, examining the cover. There was a small indentation in it, which gave Belle pause. Why would a book be dented? Then she remembered what the previous clue had been, and it all fell into place.

She gingerly put the book on the ground, positioning it meticulously. Then, not stopping to think about how potentially crazy what she was about to do really was, Belle picked up the pick axe and swung it hard down onto the book. The point of the axe met up with the indentation in the cover, and suddenly Belle's world was washed in light.

When her vision cleared, Belle scanned the room for any changes. Her mouth transformed once more into a huge smile as she saw the fruits of her labors laid out before her: a stairwell she'd not known about previously had opened in the middle of the ground, seemingly by magic. Belle guessed that it probably _was _magic.

Not wanting to waste any more time in her search for the cloaking spell, Belle grabbed a flashlight off of Rumple's desk. Deciding to take the axe with her for safety (for she knew not what laid ahead of her), Belle descended into the darkness.

. . . . . . . . . .

"Mulan, what are we going to do with him?" Aurora asked her companion. Neal's breathing had stopped twice before Aurora had managed to stabilize his condition. At least her former training as a princess had some uses.

"I don't know. Right now we just need to get him to safety. By nightfall these beaches will be crawling with enemies of all kinds." Mulan said, the warrior inside her resurfacing. Things had been complicated with Philip back, and Mulan had withdrawn more and more each passing day.

"What about my palace? Where I and then Philip slept. The enchantment on it is a preservation spell." Aurora said, painful memories of her first life flashing before her eyes. "It kept me from aging while I was under the curse. Perhaps the magic will be enough to sustain this man until we can find some sort of treatment."

Despite her obvious shortcomings, Mulan couldn't help but view Aurora with admiration. She wasn't a warrior, but she was _smart. _Smarter than most people gave her credit for.

"It's a good idea. Once Philip returns from his hunt we'll attempt to move him." Mulan said. The mention of Philip made them both quiet as they remembered the lingering relationship issues. They'd had so little time to sort things out after getting Philip back.

Still, despite the awkwardness, Mulan and Aurora maintained their relationship. They'd been through hell together, and that creates a bond that's not easily broken. Soon the conversation turned light again, and the two women were laughing, telling jokes, and reminscing about their time with Emma and Snow White. It was all rather complicated, but as Mulan sat there talking to Aurora she thought, for the first time in a long time, that perhaps complicated might just work after all.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

**Author's Note: Hope you all are enjoying it. Reviews Appreciated!**


	4. Chapter 4

Once Upon a Time

Part 3:

Henry Mills was, for the first time in a long time, terrified. Terrified of being in a new world. Terrified of being at the mercy of Tamara and Greg. Terrified of what they might do to him. Most of all, however, he was terrified of being alone... of ending up just like his parents.

Of course, this wasn't quite the same. Their respective parents had, for honorable reasons or not so honorable reasons, _chosen_ to leave them. They hadn't been kidnapped by magic hating maniacs and thrown through a magical portal to another world.

The principle, however, was the same. He was also alone. He also had no one but himself to rely on. More than anything, however, he was determined to make it back to his family, despite the complicated relationships therein. It was this determination that kept him from going mad.

The first thing Tamara and Greg had done after recapturing Henry was ensure that he would never escape again. They'd opted for the simple and classic method of tying him to a tree which, though effective, left him defenseless against any potential foes. His captors didn't seem too concerned about this.

What they did seem concerned about, however, was the seemingly endless forest they found themselves in. Tamara, Greg, and Henry knew that in any world forests could extend for hundreds of miles in any given direction. Unfortunately, it appeared that the portal had dropped them smack dab in the middle of one, which worried them to no end.

Tamara regularly stopped to investigate her backpack, making sure no supplies had disappeared and that it hadn't been torn. She'd prepared extensively for the trip, and the contents of that backpack could be the difference between life and death for them. Henry couldn't help but think, however, that a sack full of supplies might not be able to stack up against a never ending forest.

Greg had been pacing back and forth nervously for the past hour. After recapturing their meal ticket (aka Henry), they'd decided to set up camp for the night; the escapade with Henry's escape had taken most of the day. Tamara had picked a spot that seemed to her, for reasons unclear to Henry and Greg, safe. Perhaps it was feminine intuition, or perhaps it was just blind guessing.

Whatever the reason, Tamara seemed as though she felt anything but safe. Much like Greg, she'd been pacing for the better part of the night, fiddling with the revolver they'd brought along for protection. Henry couldn't help but worry that, if things got out of hand, they'd be more than willing to use it on him.

That theory reminded him of what he truly needed to be focusing on: escape. His only true assurance of safety was to be out from under their thumbs. But escaping meant being able to get out of his bonds, which at the moment was fairly impossible. He decided to turn his attention to other avenues of rebellion.

"So, you two ever gonna tell me what this is all about?" Henry asked, trying to sound brave and self assured, despite how scared he truly felt. He could tell by their amused expressions that he didn't pull off the facade very well.

"All in due time, kid." Tamara said. Something about the way she used the word "kid" annoyed him to no end. It wasn't endearing. It was condescending, only reinforcing the truth that, for the moment, she had total power.

"Look, you can't kidnap me and expect me not to be at least a little bit curious as to why." His sessions with Archie had, if nothing else, taught him how to speak diplomatically. Above all he knew he needed to get them to know him. Down the road it might make it more difficult to hand him over if they thought of him as a human rather than a bargaining chip.

Tamara wouldn't go for it though. Instead of responding, she bent down and searched inside her backpack for something. Her hand emerged with a roll of duct tape between her greedy fingers. _Oh, great. _ Henry thought, watching as she pulled off a strip and tore it with her finger nails.

Soon enough it was over his mouth, effectively ending any chances he had at further communication. He now found himself losing all hope. His plight was set on a course he could do nothing to alter. He needed help. He knew he needed, despite his striving so often to become one, a hero. Yet staring out into the forest, which extended endlessly in all directions, he somehow knew that one wasn't coming.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

_I've got it. _Regina breathed a sigh or relief as she wrote the final words of the teleportation spell. The job of writing enchantments was taxing even to the most experienced of magic-users, and Regina was no exception. She just hoped that those above deck had been able to hold off the mermaids until that point.

"Behind you!" Regina heard Emma yell from above. She said this in reference to the mermaid about to carry her mother off the boat. Mary Margaret whipped around just in time to see it, delivering a kick that sent it sprawling and retching back into the sea. Charming took a moment to ponder how lucky he was to have two such strong women in his life before turning his attention back to the battle in front of him.

They all found themselves more than a little impressed with the fight Gold was putting up. For as long as any of them could remember he'd had a fairly invasive limp. Now, however, he seemed almost not to notice it at all.

"Gold, I thought you couldn't use magic here." Emma said, dispatching a pair of mermaids that had been going after her relentlessly. She was finally adjusting to the fact that mermaids were, in fact, cold blooded killers.

"I can't, dearie." He responded in genuine confusion. He himself hadn't noticed the vast improvement in his leg.

"But your leg. You're not limping." Mary Margaret said as she slid onto the deck and caught a mermaids tail before it could get to Charming. With all her might she flung it off the side of the boat. Gold, meanwhile, stopped to take stock of his knee.

"I guess you're right, dearie. But it isn't the work of my magic." Gold said, not caring who's magic it was. He was just glad to have the full use of his legs back. It had been both a constant burden and a constant reminder of his former cowardice.

"It's not his magic, love. It's the land. Think about where we are." Hook butt in, his cryptic explanation giving Emma and her parents pause. _Neverland. _Then it hit them. _You never grow up in Neverland. _Sensing that they'd caught on, Hook continued his explanation. "Neverland keeps you from aging, at any cost. If that means fixing an injured leg, so be it." Emma dropped her sword. If Neverland healed people's injuries... there was a chance...

"Neal..." She whispered. Thankfully, no one was able to hear her over the fighting. A faint hope grew in her heart. There was a chance, however slim, that the portal had dropped Neal in Neverland. If that was the case, he might still be alive! Her mind was pulled out of these wonderings by Regina's arrival with the spell.

"I've got it. But I need Hook." The pirate looked at her curiously. "It's a teleportation spell. The person who activates the spell must think of a place they wish to go. If you know Neverland as well as you claim, you should have no trouble thinking of a safe place to send us." Hook thought for a moment.

"All right, I've got a place in mind. Give me the paper, love." Regina rolled her eyes at this term of endearment as she handed over the spell. Hook really wasn't as suave as he thought he was.

"Everyone, grab onto each other. I've written the spell to take only the vessel and the humans on it. The mermaids will be left behind." Regina said, reluctantly taking Emma's hand. For a moment, as they all stood huddled together near the bow of the boat, Emma couldn't help but think of them as the dysfunctional family they truly were.

But, as moments of happiness and self reflection often do, the loving scene ended in horror. Hook, after climbing up to the crow's nest, blew the magic words off the page. The ink left it, swirling around, expanding, settling on every bit of the ship and its human inhabitants. Except for Regina, Emma, and Gold.

They hardly had time to ponder this, however, before things started happening. The ink turned from black to gold. Then it began to glow. Soon it was so bright the boat's occupants had to shield their eyes. Then the glow began to pulse, fading in and out. Hook concentrated his thoughts on the location he desired: mermaid lagoon. It was named such because it was the only place in all of Neverland that was safe from the seductive yet dangerous women.

A collective sigh of relief resounded among the occupants of the boat as they saw the riggings begin to fade out of existence. Hook, Mary Margaret, and Charming began to glow vibrantly, then they too faded out. The boards of the ship seemed to disappear under foot. The enchantment had worked perfectly for everyone except Gold, Regina, and Emma. They shared nervous glances as the boat gave off one final burst of light and disappeared. Then they fell.

Regina soon registered the freezing water. She heard two other splashes before she went under, signalling that both Gold and Emma had also been left out of the enchantment for some reason. She scarcely had time to ponder why before something grabbed her foot. The breath escaped her lips and her silent scream was lost as she was dragged down, ever deeper, into the dark waters of Neverland.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

As his captive/housekeeper/true love/on and off girlfriend, there wasn't a lot Belle French didn't know about the Dark One. Over the duration of their time together, he'd come to think of her as a confidant, someone he could tell his darkest and most awful secrets to. Someone to trust. As such, Belle was unaccustomed to being surprised by him. But, she supposed, he had to have some tricks up his sleeve still. One of those tricks was exactly what she discovered after solving his riddles and opening the magic staircase to his shop's basement.

As she descended the stairs she noted, with a smile, the lack of cobwebs and other such things generally found in abandoned stairwells. If she knew Rumple as well as she thought, she guessed that he'd written the enchantment to prevent such things from appearing. He'd known that one day his love would be traveling down those stairs.

Her heels gingerly clicked their way down the steps as Belle held tightly onto her flashlight and pickaxe. She had no idea what she was going to find down there, but she'd always thought it better to be safe than sorry. A lifetime of captivity and lost memories had taught her that.

Yet as she reached the end of the stairs she found her fears fighting a losing battle against her curiosity. Her light illuminated a dark tunnel, with a rickety wooden door at the end of it. She could see light pouring through the holes in the door, which was either a really good or a really bad sign.

Summoning the bravery which had become a trademark of her personality, Belle continued down the hallway. _Do the brave thing and bravery will follow. _She recited this mantra to herself as she progressed, hoping that whatever lay beyond the door wouldn't lead to her demise. Finally she reached it.

Something from Lacey's life popped into her head. Something about ripping off a bandaid, and how it was better to do it quickly and get the pain over with than to pull it slowly and prolong the horror. She reasoned that she should employ the same technique with the door in front of her. She gave it a push and it creaked open without resistance. Holding the axe in front of her, Belle cautiously made her way into the room.

She couldn't help but laugh in relief as she saw the contents of the room: books. Rumple really had known it would be her who came into that room someday. A single, naked bulb hung from the ceiling, which Belle guessed was powered solely by magic. Despite her relief, a question tugged at Belle's mind: what was this room? Her question was answered when she found a dusty letter on the table. She picked it up and hastily read it.

_Dearest Belle,_

_ I sincerely hope you've found this room, because I've left it as a final gift for you. It's a collection of books from our world. I brought them here to remember you by, and when I discovered you were alive I decided to leave them to you in the event of my... undoing. There is, however, another purpose for this room: I've used it as a hiding place for my most powerful enchantments, because I knew only you would be able to find it. There's a spell book three shelves down on the north wall. Inside you'll find a cloaking spell, as well as instructions for how to cast it. Thank you for always loving me, even when I couldn't love myself. Thank you also for letting me love you, even though you deserve more. You make me the person I always wanted to be, and for that you have my undying gratitude._

_ Love always, Rumple._

Belle held the letter close to her heart, absorbing everything he'd said to her. A tear rolled down her cheek as strong memories of their life together coursed through her heart. _I will see you again. _That was the last thing she'd said to him, and she knew now that it was true. Pocketing the letter, she turned to the north wall and found the book. She threw it into her bag and left the room.

Now that she had the spell, she could safely compile a list of things she had to do: Talk to Mother Superior, cast the cloaking spell, and open a portal to find Rumple. With renewed hope and a strengthened heart, Belle French set off on her adventure.

**. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . **

**Author's Note: -Reviews welcome **

**-Let me know if there are any characters/items/other things you'd like to see make a reappearance. I'll see what I can do.**


	5. Chapter 5

Once Upon a Time

Part 4:

"What happened? Where are they, Hook?" The former prince was in a rage after having lost his daughter for the third time... three times too many. Now he was looking for someone to blame, and the cocky pirate was in his crosshairs.

"I don't know, mate. Magic's strange in Neverland." Hook said, doing his best to defend himself. Even he, however, had to admit that their voyage was less than successful. Three days out and they'd already lost half the crew.

"Charming, calm down." Mary Margaret attempted to cool her husband's frayed nerves to little avail. She'd seen him get angry before, but not in the way he was then. It was like he'd lost control, flying into a blind rage and unable to keep his emotions in check. Almost like... a child. "Hook, I think there may be something you haven't told us yet about this land." She needed to confirm her theory, and the captain was her only means of doing so.

"Ahhh. You're referring to your hubby behaving like a little boy?" Hook said, stealing a glance at Charming. The prince stuck his tongue out at the pirate and marched below deck. "I see you've caught on to the _other _thing Neverland will do to you."

"Make you age in reverse?" Mary Margaret asked, unsure if she believed it. The only time she'd ever seen age reversal was with August and the Blue Fairy, and that had been on very specific terms. She doubted even Neverland's magic was that powerful.

"Not exactly." Hook corrected, his demeanor changing to that of a teacher instructing a hapless student. "It plays with your mind... Makes you think and act like a young child if you're not aware of it. When my crew and I first came to Neverland we spent a month like idiotic ten year olds before a mermaid clued us in." Hook said, cracking a smile at the memory.

"So you're saying you have to consciously try to act like an adult here?" Mary Margaret asked, mentally adding it to the list of things she was growing to hate about this new land.

"In a nutshell, yes. But your Charming husband seems pretty far gone, lass." Hook said, his sarcastic tone undercutting his actual feeling of worry that something might actually be wrong with the prince. Mary Margaret just huffed and leaned against a rail.

"Then why haven't I been affected?" She asked, the thought suddenly striking her. For Hook it made sense; he'd been there before. But given Charming's behavior she should have been rudely pronouncing herself queen and demanding a crown of gold.

"I may have an answer for that as well. I don't suppose you had some major tragedy befall you as a child?" Hook asked, already theorizing about how potentially horrible her upbringing was. He could never have imagined that a deranged, parasol wielding fairy impersonator had poisoned her mother and had her father marry a woman that would spend a large portion of her life trying to kill Snow White. Even for a fairy tale the story seemed too fantastic.

Her mind returning to Hook's original question about her childhood, Mary Margaret nodded. Indeed, she'd been forced to grow up rather quickly. Could that be the key to her resisting Neverland's magic.

"There you have it. You can only act like yourself as a child if you ever _were _a child. There's nothing for you to go back to." Hook said. Mary Margaret's theory was confirmed by his words. Thinking back, she realized that she should have seen the pattern earlier: Emma had been abandoned as a child and had raised herself. Regina had been trapped by an abusive mother. Rumple had lived for hundreds of years as the Dark One.

The mystery of Charming's attitude problem solved, Mary Margaret's thoughts turned towards how she might _fix _the problem. You could reason with an adult male. Doing so with a ten year old boy was infinitely more difficult.

"Hook, any suggestions as to how we fix my husband?" She asked helplessly. He eyed her up and down for a moment before speaking.

"Not a clue, love, but I suggest you figure it out before he's too far gone." Hook's less than helpful advice garnered an eye roll and a sigh from Mary Margaret. Seeing that he wasn't going to be any help, she turned and headed below deck, hoping that somehow everything would turn out alright.

. . . . . . . . . . . .

In her life, Belle French had seen many spells. Some cast by village performers, some by Regina the queen, others by the Dark One himself. She had never before, however, seen a spell written as a recipe. She couldn't help but chuckle as she read through the list of ingredients.

_-A Fairy's Tear_

_ -Three Coins From a Dead Man's Pocket_

_ -Something You Love _

_ -Something You Hate_

_ -Water From a Wishing Well_

_ -Seeds of the Laestregonea Flower_

_ -A Lock Of A Princess' Hair_

It was a rather odd assortment of things, most of which Belle knew how to find. She loved her books. One of those should suffice. Rumple very likely had the three necessary coins in his shop. The Blue Fairy could spare a tear. She hated Dark Magic, which was found easily enough in Regina's former home. Belle herself could give up the necessary hair. It was the second to last item on the list that caused her worry.

She remembered dimly that the Laestregonea flowers had been plentiful in the Enchanted Forest; she'd spent more than her fair share of summer nights picking them. But did they grow in Storybrooke? Belle had no clue, but she knew who would. With determination she set off to find the Blue Fairy.

Since the breaking of the curse, Mother Superior had been working tirelessly to deal with various town crisis' as they arose. After finishing the memory conundrum she turned her attention to the town line and how one might cross it. It was that particular problem that was vexing her when Belle French walked into her office.

"Mother Superior?" Belle asked timidly. She knew that the Blue Fairy, kind and sweet on the outside, had a temper that she did not wish to incur.

"Miss French. What can I do for you?" Mother Superior asked, offering Belle a seat on the opposite side of her desk. The nunnery had turned into Storybrooke's equivalent of a crisis center since the breaking of the curse. The nuns found the change in pace exciting, but the constant interruptions got on Mother Superior's nerves.

"I'm sure you're well aware by now that Rumple and the others left with Hook to find Henry?" She asked. Mother Superior nodded. "Well, Rumple left me this. He told me it's a protection spell that will hide the town, if I can cast it."

"And you need my help in doing so?" The Blue Fairy asked, standing up from her chair and reading the incantation Belle had handed to her. She nodded as she read through the ingredients.

"Yes. Specifically in finding the seeds of the Laestregonea flower. My fear is that it doesn't grow in this world." Belle said, her gazing locking with Mother Superior's for a few moments as they both pondered the ramifications of Charming and the other's boat departure. They'd left the town behind with little thought for its well being and were forcing other people to pay the price.

"Hmmm. You're correct in thinking that Laestregonea do not grow here. Do not lose hope yet, however." The Blue Fairy's cryptic warnings got on _everyone's _nerves, and Belle was no exception. As Mother Superior led her back into the convent's storage rooms, Belle wondered how much more she could take; she'd been locked up, shot, gotten amnesia, gotten a false identity, made out with the Sheriff of Nottingham, and lost the man she loved all in under one year. Would she ever catch a break?

"Here." Mother Superior's words snapped Belle's mind back to the present. She found herself standing next to the taller woman looking at some pots in a dark mahogany cabinet.

"What am I looking at?" Belle asked, picking up one of the pots and opening the lid. She looked inside, but all she could see were flakes of dust. Not exactly a flower.

"Crushed pollen from the flowers we need. It's not exactly what the recipe calls for, but I believe it might suffice. It's worth taking the chance, anyway." The Blue Fairy said, taking the pot from Belle and looking back at the list. "Now, do you have all these other things? The hair? The coins?"

Belle produced the coins from her pocket. As she'd predicted they'd been inside one of Gold's many drawers. She then pulled out a bottle full of water from the magic well and the copy of _Beauty and the Beast_ she'd used to find the spell in the first place. She hated to see the book destroyed, but it was for a good cause.

"I've got everything but a strand of my hair, a fairy's tear. Ruby's bringing over something that I hate right now." As if in answer to Belle's words the wolf-woman walked through the convent doors carrying a page that she'd torn from Regina's spell book, as well as a pair of scissors. The Blue Fairy, for her part, started tearing up immediately.

"I've got it. Now will someone fill me in on what's going on?" Ruby asked as she handed the page to the Blue Fairy. She offered an abbreviated explanation of Belle's quest and the spell while the princess herself took the scissors and chopped off a lock of her hair. Soon all the ingredients were in place and they were ready to begin.

"Alright, if everything goes according to plan, Storybrooke should be invisible within the hour." Mother Superior said, carefully mixing the ingredients together in a cauldron that looked like it had been transported there from the Enchanted Forest. The three women gathered around the huge pot as Mother Superior began to stir the mixture.

Soon it began to glow. Only faintly at first, then brighter. Then brighter still, until it was blinding them all. Ruby could see magic rising from the cauldron, visibly changing in the air. It spread out like tendrils in all directions, enveloping the room, winding through bookshelves, passing through walls. The air buzzed with the enchantment and then... it stopped.

The tendrils dissipated. The glow disappeared. The cauldron turned cold. The ingredients stopped swirling and became stagnant. Belle put her face in her hands, allowing herself to be lost in despair for a moment. She'd try again in a second, but she needed a moment to linger on the horror. It failed. The spell had failed.

. . . . . . . . . . . .

"Tamara, what's our play here? Why haven't they come to find us yet?" It was a fair question, and one both Greg and Henry were wondering-though Henry was at a loss as to who "they" were. Probably nobody good.

"Will you shut up? Don't let the kid hear you." She hissed. Hearing was about all Henry _could _do at that point. He was tied to a tree and his mouth was taped shut. He was at their mercy in every way, which terrified him. "Come with me." Tamara said, taking Greg's hand and leading him a ways off into the woods.

"Look, honey, I need you to talk to me. We had a plan, and it has not been followed. You know as well as I do that something is very wrong." Greg said, his stress levels beginning to rise. They'd agreed to meet the Lost Ones as soon as possible after they arrived in Neverland, yet no contact had been made.

"You don't think I'm worried to? Of course I am! But right now we have bigger things to worry about than the crappy communication skills of a gang of teenage ruffians. We are in the middle of a jungle in a world we are not familiar with in the least. Right now we need to focus on surviving." She poked him in the chest on the last word to drive the point home. Greg seemed unimpressed by this maneuver.

"Look, I get that. But I wanna know how you plan to do that. All we have is your backpack and our wits. Not to mention the kid we kidnapped who's less than willing to go along with our plans." Greg said, pushing his arms around his girl friend. She seemed to relax and tense up simultaneously at his touch.

"You're right. We need a better plan than to just survive. First things first: we need to figure out a way to get this kid to cooperate." At this Tamara glanced through the trees at their captive. "We can't spend weeks dragging him unwillingly through the jungle. It'll get all of us killed."

"I've been thinking about that. I might have an idea as to how we can fix it. Have you ever heard of -" Greg's words were promptly cut off by something bellowing in the forest. Something loud. Something close. He shared a glance with Tamara, and they both ran back towards Henry. Greg began removing the ropes from Henry, but his girlfriend stopped him.

"What are you doing? We have to get out of here now!" Greg yelled. The bellowing creature sounded again, this time even louder. It was getting closer to them.

"If you untie him he'll run for sure. We need a better plan." Henry wanted to scream at the insane woman to let him go, but he could not. Instead he sat making muffled cries through the tape as the roaring got louder and his captor's arguing became more heated. For a few moments the sounds only became more intense, until suddenly it all stopped. A branch broke directly behind the trio. Tamara, Greg, and Henry simultaneously turned their heads to see what it was. Then the silence was broken by one final roar and two blood curdling screams.

**Author's Notes -Reviews welcome!**

**-Let me know if there are any characters/items/other things you'd like to see make a reappearance. I'll see what I can do.**

**-Sorry it's been so long since I updated!**

**-Next chapter will be the last for this story, but episode 2 will be up soon after!**


	6. Chapter 6

Once Upon a Time

Part 5:

Science tells us that in moments of extreme terror, one often experiences a rush of adrenaline that lends itself to heightened cognitive functioning and problem solving abilities. It was this adrenaline kick that saved the lives of Regina Mills, Emma Swan, and No-First-Name Gold after a faulty spell left them stranded in the clutches of blood thirsty mermaids.

Ironically, it was Regina that ended up rescuing them. As she was being dragged down into the cold claws of the sea, the enchanted ink escaped her pocket and began to float upwards. Her mind already churning out a plan of action, the formerly evil queen managed to snatch the ink before it was out of reach and rip off the cap.

The effects of this action were instantaneous. As the black liquid mixed with the water, a surge of uncontrolled and untamed magic pulsed through the water, which worried Regina to no end. Magic only worked well when it was directed by someone at something. Let it loose with no goal and who knows what it could do. Lucky for the drowning trio, the magic manifested in much the same way a neutron bomb does: wiping out all magical life within a certain radius.

As the ink shook off its enchantment into the water, the grip on Regina's heel immediately loosened. Taking the opportunity, Regina butterfly-kicked her way to the surface, gasping for breath as she broke through. She looked frantically around and waited a few nerve wracking moments for the others to resurface. First Emma's blonde locks appeared to her right, then Gold-looking slightly worse for the ware-came up as well.

Reunited and assured of their mutual safety, the unlikely trio paddled their way to shore and took stock of their situation. For some reason, the enchantment had decided to drop the three of them into the middle of the sea and transport everyone else.

"Why are we still here?" Emma voiced what was on everyones' mind. They allotted a moment for their minds to mull over the question before Gold and Regina spoke simultaneously.

"The price of magic." They said in unison, sharing knowing glances. Emma's glance was considerably less knowing.

"What does that mean? The price of magic decided to leave us stranded here?" She asked, exasperated at the whole situation. Why was nothing simple anymore?

"Magic always comes with a price, dearie. It just seems that in Neverland you pay it a whole lot sooner." Gold explained, wringing the water out of his jacket and readjusting his wet hair to its usual middle part.

"You mean... because the three of us were the ones who used magic and enchanted the ink, we paid the price for it?" Emma asked, finally catching on to what had already become abundantly clear to her two unwilling companions.

"Yes, Miss Swan. Exactly. And it doesn't bode well for the rest of our trip if using magic causes something like this to happen." Regina gestured grandly with her arms, referring to their horrible situation as a whole.

"Great. So magic equals horrible, potentially life threatening result. Didn't we already know that?" Emma said, unsure of why this newfound information was all that important. After all, she hardly ever used magic.

"Yes, dearie, but what happens when we find poor Henry and need to use magic to save him?" Gold asked. This gave Emma pause but, in true Emma fashion, she recovered and came up with a counter argument quickly enough.

"Who needs magic when you have a gun? I made do with it for years in our world." Emma said, sounding a bit too stuck up for Regina's liking.

"Ah yes, because a gun has always gone so well for you. The dragon, Tamara, Greg, Hook, Jefferson. All incredible successes." Regina responded dryly. This brought a smile to Gold's face.

"Fine. We'll figure it out later then. Right now we need to figure out where we are and get back to the others." Emma said, her mind turning to the immediate future. No one knew quite how to respond to that, because no one knew quite where they were. The trio looked around at the unfamiliar world and realized that perhaps they _were _in over their heads.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"What happened?" It was a fair question, and the one on everyones' minds after the failure of the cloaking spell. Belle was the first to vocalize it, however, and her two companions could only stare at her blankly.

"It appears that the Dark Ones enchantment failed." The blue fairy said, stating the obvious. Belle gave her an annoyed looked.

"He's not the Dark One. Not anymore." She asserted, unintended fierceness coming through. The blue fairy shrunk back slightly and apologized. "I'm sorry. I'm just a little stressed out." Belle redeemed herself, realizing her accidental harshness.

"It's ok, we're all a bit on edge. I'm going to take the recipe and give it another look. Perhaps we missed something." Mother Superior said. She took the spell from Belle and disappeared into a backroom, leaving the two younger women alone to talk.

"Belle, what're we going to do?" Ruby asked, the small flame of hope she had left withering away. The town was unprotected, the citizens were in turmoil, and she was finding it much harder to be the mayor than expected. Responsibility sucked. Belle, for her part, had to muster up every ounce of courage she had left to deliver a quintessentially Belle-ish response.

"We're going to keep trying. We're going to put the spell into effect again. I'd do it a hundred more times to get it right. We are not, under any circumstances, going to give up." Belle said, exhausting herself under the effort of trying to sound optimistic. Truthfully, she felt about as beaten down as Ruby, though the other woman couldn't tell.

"You know you're pretty amazing, right?" Ruby asked, a smile splitting across her face like a rainbow after a storm. Belle raised her head to meet the other woman's and thanked her. At that moment the Blue Fairy walked back in, her high heels clicking across the hard convent floor.

"I think I know what went wrong with the spell." Mother Superior said, holding it up triumphantly. "It's what we were worried about originally: the Laestregonae flowers." This made Belle's heart sink. Her deepest fears were now coming to pass. The Blue Fairy forged on in her explanation. "The spell is so powerful that everything must be exact for it to work. Pollen won't do, we need the seeds."

"Which means someone has to go to the Enchanted Forest to get them." Belle said dejectedly. She knew that person would have to be her, but she couldn't yet come to grips with it. "It means _I _have to go get them." She finished, anger and determination fighting for control over her emotions.

"No, let me. The town needs _you, _Belle." Ruby said, acknowledging that Belle would be the superior leader. She would gladly be the one to get the flowers.

"No. It has to be me, because the spell is already based around me. Things that I hate. Things that I love. It won't work unless I bring back the seeds." Belle explained. Mother Superior nodded in agreement, signaling to Ruby that there was no way around it.

Belle needed time to think, so she excused herself to an outer room. Would she ever catch a break? Would she ever be with the man she loved? Given her luck, probably not. She'd had her heart set on following the others and reuniting with Rumple, but now there was something else in her way. And even if she did find them in the Enchanted Forest, she'd have to come back to Storybrooke without them and cast the spell. There really was no way around it; she might see Rumple again, but not another time after that.

Knowing in her heart what she had to do, Belle French returned to the pawn shop to make preparations for her impending trip; chiefly, she needed to find a way of making a portal that would get her to the Enchanted Forest. She had no way of knowing that Ruby was also making plans.

"I'm going with her. Belle helped me once. She believed in me when I didn't believe in myself, so now I'm returning the favor. Help me find a way to go with her." Ruby pleaded with the Blue Fairy after Belle had left. Belle was brave, but she'd never survive traipsing around a dangerous land alone. No one would.

"I will do what I can to help you." Mother Superior said in her typically cryptic fashion. Ruby knew that was all the promise she'd get from the woman, so she left. And as she returned to the mayor's office, she began to think that, perhaps, her adventure was just beginning.

. . . . . . . . . . . .

It was becoming abundantly clear to Mary Margaret that Charming's condition was worse than they'd previously thought. Within a half hour of her talk with Hook, she'd found her husband playing with wooden swords in the bottom of the ship and rushing around with a hand over his eye pretending to be a pirate. Not good signs at all.

"Hook, I need help. How did you fix this the first time you were here?" Snow asked, desperate for a solution. Everything was just happening too quickly. It seemed as though everything that could go wrong did, and it all happened concurrently.

"Mermaids, love. They have a special drink that counteracts the effects of Neverland's magic. Back in the old days you could buy it with a kiss, but that doesn't seem to be the going rate nowadays." Hook quipped, referencing their earlier fight with the vicious killers.

"That's just great. Now my only hope for getting my husband back is befriending a creature that just spent the better part of a day trying to murder me." She said with a sigh and fell down on a crate. Hook sat next to her, perhaps too close for Mary Margaret's liking.

"Yes well, no use crying over spilled milk. Soon it won't matter anyway." Hook said, rising again and attending to some riggings that appeared to have come loose. This comment gave the princess pause. She stood up and crossed over to him.

"What do you mean, 'won't matter anyway.' What do you know that I don't? What haven't you told me?" Snow asked, already reaching for the knife that she'd earlier concealed in her boot. She wanted to be prepared.

"Didn't I say before? The magic becomes permanent if it's left unattended for too long. I'd say you've got about a week before your beloved's a toddler for life." Hook said with a smile. His unfeeling nature towards to the situation annoyed Mary Margaret to no end, but there was little she could do about it... besides kill him, which was looking more appealing with each passing remark.

"Look here, captain. You're going to help me get my husband back to normal. I don't care if we have to sail this wreck to the bottom of the sea ourselves. We're fixing him." She said fiercely. Hook raised an eyebrow at her sudden flare of temper, acting as though she'd just told an unfunny joke rather than delivering an ultimatum.

"Look, love, I'll do what I can. Meanwhile, care to lend me a hand with these riggings? They're too heavy to move alone." Hook said, already moving on to another topic. She huffed once more and moved to assist him, her eyes catching some movement off to her left.

_What's that? _She barely had time to think the question through before something smashed into her and sent her sprawling on the deck. A wet splashing sound alerted her to the presence of a mermaid... a few seconds too late. It was on top of her once again, this time pushing her towards the edge of the boat.

"Hook! Help me!" Hook was already on top of the situation. He pulled his cutlass from the scabbard and rushed toward the mermaid, jabbing it through the tale. It shrieked fiercely and tore away from his blade, leaving a long gash in its flipper.

Soon they were mere feet away from the edge, and Hook was having less and less luck freeing his companion. For whatever reason, this mermaid seemed hell-bent on getting Mary Margaret off the boat, and no silly pirate was going to stop it. With one great push the sea-beast flung itself and its captive into the sea, with Hook trailing close behind. He reached the railing only seconds after they disappeared, looking down in time to see the splash.

His jacket was off moments later and he was over the side, following the pair into the ocean. He had to find her. He'd lost too much already. He needed to redeem himself for all that he'd done. It couldn't end that way. But as he searched the water for longer and longer and found no sign of Mary Margaret, he realized that it had ended that way. She was gone.

Or was she? Roughly twenty feet below his boots, the princess was engaged in a life and death struggle with a mermaid doing all it could to end her existence. It tore at her clothes, ripped at her flesh, bit at her face. All Mary Margaret could do was punch it repeatedly and try not to drown... but she appeared to be failing at that.

But this would prove only to be a _near _death experience. For you see, just as Mary Margaret had given up all hope of surviving, something truly peculiar and completely unexpected happened: another mermaid smashed into the one attacking her and tore it away. Not stopping to think about what had happened, Mary Margaret began to swim towards the surface.

She was nearly there when the mermaid from before caught up with her again and rammed into her stomach, knocking all the air out of her lungs. She tried to gasp, but ended up inhaling water instead. The mermaid assassin seemed not to care, and was more than happy to resume her feasting on Mary Margaret... until the other mermaid once again intervened, this time more permanently.

Ripping the other one off of Snow White, the kind-hearted mermaid savior grabbed the princess and began a mad swim for the top. With no oxygen getting to her brain, Mary Margaret's vision was soon gone. She knew she was beginning to fade. Finally, she felt the warmth of near death enveloping her. Or was it the sun? Mary Margaret was aware of the fact that she was somehow being dragged onto the beach. Had Hook rescued her?

Eventually she coughed the water out of her lungs and her vision returned. Her life had been saved, but by who? The answer became clear when she glanced to her left and saw the mermaid who'd rescued her splayed out on the beach at her side.

"Thank you for saving me." It was all she could manage at the moment. The mermaid looked at her for a moment, as if waiting for her to speak again. "My name's Mary Margaret." She went on, extending a hand to the mermaid. The mermaid smiled.

"I'm glad you're alright." She said in perfect english. She took Snow White's hand awkwardly. "Ariel. My name's Ariel."

**End of Episode 1**

**(Episode 2 coming soon)**

**Author's notes:**

**-Now that it's finished, what did y'all think?**

**-Opinions on Ariel?**

**-Episode 2 title suggestions?**

**-Keep an eye out for the second story!**

**-As always, reviews appreciated!**


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